


Meeting in the Middle

by eirenical (chibi1723)



Category: Dark Matter (TV)
Genre: Better Today Than We Were Yesterday, Gen, Guns, Minor Canonical Character(s), Past Violence, Pranks as Expressions of Love, Team as Family, Teasing, Teasing as Expressions of Love, Three | Marcus Boone - Freeform, Training, Two | Portia Lin - Freeform, Unconventional Families, mentions of - Freeform, mentions of past minor character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28205967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibi1723/pseuds/eirenical
Summary: Five had never had a family.  She knew that with as much certainty as someone with no memories could know anything.  But that wasn't even the point, was it?  Because whether she'd had one before or not, if she couldn't remember them, did it even count?  Maybe that wasn't fair.  But life wasn't always fair, and Five knew that with as much certainty as she did that she'd never had a family.What mattered was this: the person who had awoken to become Five had never had a family.But what also mattered was this: Five knew what it felt like to have one.  Because whether she'd ever had one before or not… she had one now.
Relationships: Five | Das & Four | Ryo Tetsuda
Comments: 15
Kudos: 24
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Meeting in the Middle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tptigger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/gifts).



Five had never had a family. She knew that with as much certainty as someone with no memories could know anything. But that wasn't even the point, was it? Because whether she'd had one before or not, if she couldn't remember them, did it even count? Maybe that wasn't fair. But life wasn't always fair, and Five knew that with as much certainty as she did that she'd never had a family.

What mattered was this: the person who had awoken to become Five had never had a family.

But what also mattered was this: Five knew what it felt like to have one. Because whether she'd ever had one before or not… she had one now.

Family was Three's hand ruffling her hair when she'd played a successful joke on him, and he was trying not to laugh and failing. Family was One being willing to out himself as being just as worthless for bounty purposes as Five was, in a desperate bid to protect her. Family was Two sending her away whenever there was danger… but being proud as anything of her when she came back and stood her ground. Family was Six chasing her off with harsh words in the hopes that she wouldn't become attached—the better to leave with a clear conscience when the time came—and then apologizing when he realized it was already way too late for that.

And Family was this, too.

"Again!"

Accompanied by the flat of a blade striking the flank that Five had left unprotected.

"Ow! Do you have to hit so hard? I got the message the first time!"

Four's impassive face gave nothing away as Five scrambled to get her sword back up and into a more proper stance. He raised his own sword in response.

"Clearly you did not. Again."

"Pushy, pushy." But even as she grumbled, Five watched. Four didn't engage in the usual taunts and tricks that most outlaws did while fighting. Psychological warfare, maybe, in dire circumstances—cold, clear logic that could take you down even more quickly than a well-placed sword strike—but never cheap taunts or boasts. He didn't need to. So, she watched his hips, like she'd been taught, waiting for the shift that would give away where he was going to move next and… yes!

This time, when Four struck, Five had her blade in the proper guard and blocked the blow, easily. And this time… Five might have been fooling herself, but there was just a glint of satisfaction lighting Four's eyes, the barest hint of a smile dancing at the corners of his lips as she blocked the second strike.

"Excellent! Now, press your advantage."

Five reversed her block into an attack that nearly scored, and Four's eyes lit up further still. Her body carried her through the next three moves almost faster than her thoughts could process what she was doing, and with Four's next weight shift, she lunged forwards and… yes! Her practice blade touched Four's right shoulder hard enough that if this had been a real sword, she would have surely pierced through his arm, leaving him one armed and potentially defenseless if he couldn't fight with his left arm as well as with his right.

…of course, Four _could_.

Two seconds later, Five was looking up at Four from the floor, mildly dazed and out of breath. But she'd scored on him! She had! Grinning wildly, Five jumped up from the floor and offered Four a short bow. He responded with an inclining of his head and a slow smile of his own. "You've improved much in a short time. Well done." Four touched a hand to his shoulder, wincing ever so slightly. " _Very_ well done."

Five bounced over to the table to begin cleaning her practice blade. "You should probably get the Android to look at that." She looked over her shoulder and offered Four a bright grin. "Maybe get some ointment? Might bruise."

Four's smile widened and he swung his sword around to smack Five's leg with the flat of his blade again. "Enough gloating. It is not honorable."

Five turned back to cleaning her blade. "Haven't you heard? We steal things and kill people for a living. How great an offense is gloating compared to that?"

Four snorted as he joined her at the table to polish his own blade. "I won't insult you by suggesting the idea of honor amongst thieves, but aren't you the one who always insists that we can do better? That we can _be_ better? Does that not start with how we treat our adversaries?"

Five lifted her practice blade into place on the weapons' rack. Four was right. That _was_ exactly what she always said. It was what Two always said, also. But so often they all fell just a little short. They were _trying_. They were. And a lot of the time they succeeded, even Three. Five tried not to think too hard about the times that they failed… that _she_ failed.

Five had killed a man. She'd shot him with cold precision, using skills she'd learned from Three. He'd been the first one of the crew to agree to teach her. Quietly, with no fuss, but recognizing that if she was going to run with their crew, she needed a way to protect herself. He hadn't discussed it with anyone, hadn't pushed her off with any 'you're too young's or 'it's not worth it's. He'd just looked her straight in the eye, told her that he would only teach her if she was willing to respect the weapon, respect what he taught her, and that—if she had to shoot—to always aim for a kill shot, because if circumstances were dire enough that she would have to pick up a gun to defend herself then there were going to be no time for delicate feelings. Not when delicate feelings could get her killed. So she'd done exactly that. She seen Cain going for Two, and she'd picked up the gun and fired several rounds right into his chest. Just like Three had taught her. She hadn't even felt sorry about it.

Five didn't know what it said about her that she hadn't. A year ago, she would have felt sorry; of that, she was sure. Being part of this family was changing her… but her being part of this family was changing _them_ , too. And if, in the end, they met in the middle… maybe that was the best possible outcome for all of them.

Five turned back to Four and offered him a bow of the deepest respect. "You're right, of course. We should treat our enemies with the same respect we treat our friends. I thank you for the lesson, sensei."

But because Five was still Five… and she hadn't changed all that very much, she offered Four a brilliant grin when she rose. "But really… you should get that looked at. I hacked your medical records after our last sparring session—" At Four's affronted look, she shrugged, "What? Your right-handed strikes were a hair slower than your left-handed strikes, and that's usually not the case, so I was concerned! Anyway, at the rate you're going, you're going to need a shoulder replacement if you keep abusing your right shoulder like that. You should take better care of yourself!"

This time, Five didn't wait for the swat before she was off and running out the door and down the corridor for the nearest vent with Four in hot pursuit. Good. Because Four's medical records had also shown an increased level of stress. A game of hide and seek would do him a world of good. And what was family for if not to look out for one another? And Five intended to look out for this accidental family she'd acquired for as long as she could.

**Author's Note:**

> (Notes added after author reveals.)
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! This fic also has [a tumblr post](https://eirenical.tumblr.com/post/639417095394869248), if you liked it enough to want to share it there.
> 
> And if you'd like to come find me to yell with (or at ;D) me further, either about this fic or this canon or whatever else strikes your fancy, you can generally find me on tumblr @ eirenical.


End file.
